Jasmin Schuller

This Housing Project in Austria Features An Angular Facade of Large Balconies For Each Apartment

The Ragnitzstraße 36 project is a unique housing scheme made up of 15 one bedroom apartments, that are relatively inexpensive and yet of a surprisingly high quality. Something that is not very common in housing construction.

The project is designed by Austrian Architects Love Architecture and Urbanism and located in Ragnitzstraße 36, 8047 Graz, Austria. It covers an area of about 1888 sqm and was completed in 2013. Here’s their description, The Ragnitzstraße 36 project is a structurally simple, systematic and efficiently designed base building structure houses all apartments. To the south, this structure is flanked by zigzag-shaped, spacious balconies, while the north side features a pergola opening encased in expanded metal. Thus, the building’s overall architectural character is defined by relatively inexpensive building components, such as the balconies.

The building houses 15 small apartments (40-50m²) and one penthouse on the top floor, with a subterranean parking level below. All apartments are oriented to the south and feature spacious outside areas (balconies or terraces) that face the green space of Ragnitzbach. The balconies and outside areas that cover the entire apartment widths are partially roofed and feature a minimum size of 17m². Thus, the actual living area extends towards the outside area, and living rooms and bedrooms appear larger and more spacious.

The larch-wood balcony railings are placed in a fan-like manner along the zigzag rhythm of the cantilever slab, with both materials and workmanship creating a homely atmosphere. The north-facing pergola blocks the traffic noise of the Ragnitzstraße. The expanded metal façade is mounted such that it appears almost transparent from the west.

However, when approaching the building from the east, the façade appears closed and volumetric, which creates a kind of visual tilting effect as one passes the building. Overall, the appearance of the structure varies dramatically depending on the viewer’s perspective, which gives the building a very sculptural and three-dimensional feel.

Ragnitzstraße 01
Ragnitzstraße 17
Ragnitzstraße 16
Ragnitzstraße 15
Ragnitzstraße 02
Ragnitzstraße 14
Ragnitzstraße 13
Ragnitzstraße 09
Ragnitzstraße 12
Ragnitzstraße 11
Ragnitzstraße 10
Ragnitzstraße 05
Ragnitzstraße 08


Ragnitzstraße 07
Ragnitzstraße 06
Ragnitzstraße 04


Ragnitzstraße 03

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